Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan’s Instagram Accounts Blocked In India Amid Pahalgam Attack Outrage

The Instagram accounts of the stars of the Pakistani cricket team were blocked in India following terrorist attacks in Pahalgam. Pakistani cricket players such as Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi blocked their accounts in India alongside popular actors and actresses like Hania Aamir and Ali Fazal. Even the Instagram account of the Olympic gold medalist Javellin Thrower Arshad Nadeem was blocked on Thursday. The decision to block these social media accounts was taken following the terrorist strike in Pahalgam which resulted in multiple deaths – marking one of the deadliest strikes in the valley of a recent past.

Users who try to access the Nadeem Instagram page from India are encountered by the message: “Account not available in India. It is because we have respected a legal request to restrict this content.”

Twenty-six people, mainly tourists, were killed and several injured when terrorists opened fire in a meadow near the popular tourist town of Pahalgam, in southern cashmere on April 22. The government has since repressed the Pakistani social media accounts which have a large part in India.

Earlier this week, several Pakistani YouTube channels were also limited in India for “the dissemination of provocative and communally sensitive content, false and misleading stories and disinformation against India, army and security agencies”.

Former SHOAIB AKHTAR cricket players, BASIT ALI and SHAHID AFRIDI were one of those whose YouTube accounts were selected.

Interestingly, although their YouTube content is no longer accessible, their Instagram accounts remain available, unlike Nadeem.

The Instagram accounts of current Pakistani cricket players, including Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheed Afridi, are also accessible.

Other eminent Pakistani celebrities, including actors Mahira Khan and Ali Zafar, have also seen their Instagram accounts blocked in India.

Nadeem, who won gold at the Paris Olympic Games after the India superstar, Neeraj Chopra, had been invited by the latter to participate in the classic Javelin event of the inaugural NC scheduled for May 24 in Bengaluru.

However, he refused the invitation, citing previous commitments.

(With PTI entries)